Megan McCarthy

O'Reilly Radar notes one aspect of the announcement, the appearance of a "CampFire" (their capitalization) which will bring together thirty developers to celebrate OpenSocial, Google's also-ran answer to Facebook's app platform. The "CampFire" mentioned? Not a euphemism. We hear that Google is hosting, outside on its main campus, an invite-only, s'mores-cooking, go-gather-some-kindling bonfire to let platform developers get their kum-ba-ya-yas on. "Someone from our team is heading there to roast marshmallows, who knows," says one participant. Google has been secretive throughout this process. But in its efforts to hide the project, there's one legal nicety Google hasn't observed.

According to the Mountain View Fire Department, Google has yet to file for an outdoor fire permit. All it takes is a $130 fee and having someone from the fire marshal's office run a plan check and an inspection at the site. (Which they can do in an hour, if they're not busy.)

Speculation is that Google wanted the campfire to be the moment when they would introduce all the other major players to each other, because Google's strict NDAs, you see, would have kept them in the dark before. (Yeah, right. As if they wouldn't talk to each other before the big day. Remember, Google, these people might work with you, but they don't work for you.) It would be awfully embarrassing if Google's attempt at social networking got hosed down before it even got a chance to flame out.